Plans to “normalize” fund-raising for Israel by abolishing all drives, except the United Israel Appeal and the sale of Israeli bonds, are being prepared by the Keren Hayesod here, it was revealed today at a press conference by Eliahu Dobkin, leading member of the Jewish Agency executive. He classified the fund-raising campaigns as follows:
1. “Pointless drives” for institutions whose existence is not important for the development of the Jewish state. Such drives, he said, serve the interests of either private persons or small groups. The Keren Hayesod and the Jewish Agency will fight them “mercilessly,” he declared.
2. Drives approved by the World Zionist Congress. They will receive the fullest support of the Jewish Agency. These include the Hadassah drives, Youth Aliyah and others. Mr. Dobkin said.
3. Drives which were not authorized by the Congress, such as drives for the Hebrew University, the Weizmann Institute of Science, Haifa Technion, WIZO, American Fund for Israeli Institutions and others. The Jewish Agency is negotiating with leaders of these campaigns for “normalization” of fund-raising. Mr. Dobkin stated.
4. World fund-raising organizations, such as the American Joint Distribution Committee, ORT, OSE, HIAS, all of whom now operate in Israel.
The Jewish Agency leader pointed out that in order to “normalize” the situation in world-wide Jewish fund-raising, all the above institutions should receive their allocations from Jerusalem, or the Keren Hayesod in Jerusalem should decide on allocations for each agency or institution which is now raising funds separately.
Mr. Dobkin said that he has no illusions that his proposal will be accepted at this time, adding that it will take a considerable time to achieve his aim. However, he said, the forthcoming session of the Zionist Actions Committee will consider the problem and may impose “sanctions” against those institutions which refuse to accept the authority of the Actions Committee in fund-raising activities.
Elimination of the party system in the Zionist movements in countries outside Israel and their replacement by territorial Zionist federations was advocated here today by Moshe Kol, member of the Agency executive, who has just returned from a tour of Europe. He said this was the only way to halt the decline in the pioneering spirit in countries outside Israel, adding that only 500 to 600 chalutzim are expected to arrive in Israel this year.
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